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Welcome to St. Mark’s

St. Mark’s has a long history in Nepera Park and North Yonkers. For over 100 years we have intentionally sought to be a spiritual home for those who desire a family-sized church where each person is valued and respected for the gifts they bring.

Today we continue that long tradition by welcoming new friends and members as we continue to respond to the changing needs of our community. Historic churches such as St. Mark’s provide a strong foundation upon which to build a spiritual life. With our feet firmly planted on the ground we can reach out expectantly to all God would have for us.

If you are looking for a place where the energy and excitement of God’s promises join with the richness of history and tradition, then St. Mark’s may be just the place for you. Please visit us any time, we would love to meet you and discover with you all that God has in store.

History

The beginning of the congregation of St. Mark’s Yonkers was the result of a fairly common formula in the mission field. In 1891 a group of people in the Odell Avenue are of North Yonkers began meeting for worship in a small building and called themselves the Woodhill Union Church. Various neighboring clergymen were invited to conduct services.

In 1896 the congregation had grown to the point where denominational preferences began to appear. One group decided to unite with the Methodist Church. The balance stayed “undenominational”. About this time a group of laymen was sent into Westchester by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew to attempt to organize missions.

Together with some of the members of the Woodhill Church, they began to hold services in a vacant building opposite the Nepera Park railroad station. About 15 families were involved. A clergyman came in from time to time to celebrate the Eucharist.

About 1900 Dr. Dressler, who owned an unused frame chapel at Worthington, New York offered the building to the St. Mark’s congregation on the basis that they move it. A piece of ground was purchased at Truman Avenue and Hearst Street.

The chapel was taken apart, removed piece by piece, and floated down the then navigable Saw Mill River and re-assembled on the new plot. Services were conducted by laymen and a visiting clergyman. There followed a long period of this type of operation until 1932 when the Reverend Bertram J. Mortlock was placed in charge of the mission by the Diocesan Church Extension and Missionary Society.

In 1938 property was purchased at the corner of Jones Street and Nepperhan Avenue. In October 1939 the cornerstone for the present church building was laid by Bishop Manning. The stone was given by Roger Abbate and Sons, members of the Roman Catholic Church, as a gesture of friendship and generosity.

Bishop Manning dedicated the new church building on Sunday, March 3, 1940. The parish hall was completed in 1950. In 1952 the mission formally became a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Today, as throughout its history, St. Mark’s is a center of life in North Yonkers, opening the doors of its facilities to a wide range of community groups in the Nepera Park, Grey Oaks, and Homefield neighborhoods. Currently several community groups regularly meet at St. Mark’s.

These include:
• OverEaters Anonymous
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Nepera Park and Grey Oaks Neighborhood Associations
• Senior Citizens Group 7
• Boy Scouts Troop 4
• Police Athletic League
• Yonkers Public Schools Intensive Day Treatment program
• And many, many family celebrations such as First Communion, wedding receptions, birthday parties, Quinceaneras, and Sweet 16.

As you can see, St. Mark’s is a church with open doors and open hearts. A place where you are sure to find a genuine welcome and new friends.

St. Mark our Patron
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Churches are often dedicated to a particular person regarded as a Saint. This dedication reminds us not only of our connection to the rich history of faithful people who have gifted to us an example of faith, love, and perserverence but of our responsibility to pass on this example to the generations that will follow. Here our patron is St. Mark, the author of the earliest cannonical Gospel (the historical account of our Lord’s life and ministry on earth).

St. Mark travelled extensively assisting in the establishment of the early Church in the Roman empire. He was with St. Peter in Rome and with St. Barnabus and St. Paul on their first missionary through Asia Minor. He personally established the Church in Alexandria Egypt and founded the first Christian school.

He was martyred on April 25, 67 in Alexandria. In religious art he is often represented as a lion in the desert as well a scholar holding a book enscribed with the words pax tibi Marce (“Peace to you”). The most famous church to bear his name is the Church of St. Mark’s in Venice, Italy where his remains were entombed in 828.

“Almighty God, may we follow in the footsteps of your servant Mark, bringing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world by word and example. Amen.”

The Episcopal Church
For more information and resources about the Episcopal Church visit these websites:

The Episcopal Diocese of New York    www.dioceseny.org

The Epsicopal Church, USA   www.episcopalchurch.org

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